Shaikh and Shirsat worked with a catering company in Mankhurd. On May 9, 2012, the duo lured two women ragpickers aged 28 and 20, from Vashi on the pretext of giving them catering jobs, the prosecution said.

Later, the accused took the women near the Belapur flyover, which was under construction and forced them to drink liquor mixed with cold drinks and took turns to rape them.

The accused also slit their necks, using a knife and a hexablade, fearing that they may complain to the police and left the spot thinking that they were dead.

However, the 20-year-old woman survived and was helped by two persons, who took her to a hospital and later filed a police complaint, the prosecution said.

The accused were arrested from Mankhurd five days after the incident.

The prosecution examined 11 witnesses. The rape survivor turned out to be the key eyewitness in the case. PTI VI NP ZMN

This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.

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